Pasco Tax Collector Mike Fasano Announces Winner of Middle School Essay Contest

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano, as part of Clerk & Comptroller Paula O’ Neill’s Constitutional Officers Essay Contest, announces that his office received 220 essays from middle school students throughout Pasco County. Students from public, private, parochial, charter and home schools all entered the contest, which ran during the month of March. The entrants, students in Grades 6-8, were asked to answer the question “Do you think taxes are important? If so, why? If not, why not?”

A panel of judges, not knowing the age, gender, grade or school of each entrant, chose the essay written by Grace Ann Spurza, a sixth grade student at Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes, as the winning submission. Grace Ann’s essay best communicated her response to the topic question all while meeting the contest criteria of overall essay structure, appearance and readability. A copy of Grace’s essay is attached.

“I am very proud of all the students who participated in this essay contest,” states Tax Collector Mike Fasano. “With 220 well-written essays to choose from, the judges had a fun but difficult task to perform. With so many excellent entries to read, the choice the panel made was a tough one. However, Grace Ann Spurza’s essay best embodied the spirit of the contest. She deserves high praise for standing out among all the entries submitted.”

Grace Ann Spurza was awarded an I-Pad Mini at a ceremony held at Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes on April 24, 2015. School principal Aimee Williams was on hand to introduce Tax Collector Mike Fasano as well as Grace Ann Spurza and her family. The coveted award was given to Grace before an assembly of her peers at Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes (see photo attached). All entrants in the contest received a personal letter from Tax Collector Mike Fasano thanking them for their participation in the contest.

The Pasco County Tax Collector’s office plans on participating in the essay contest again in 2016. Many students who did not win this year may have the opportunity to enter again during the upcoming school year. Additionally, the student essay contest is just one of many community-related events the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office participates in throughout the year. For more details about next year’s contest or other upcoming promotions and activities coordinated by the tax collector please do not hesitate to contact Greg Giordano, Director of Customer Relations at 727-847-8179 or visit www.pascotaxes.com

[Photo – from left to right – Tax Collector Mike Fasano, Linda Ann Spurza – Grace’s mother, Grace Ann Spurza – contest winner & sixth grade student, and Ian Spurza – brother and eighth grade student at Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes]

Grace’s essay follows:

According to the Webster-Merriam Dictionary, a tax is “an amount of money that a government requires people to pay according to their income, the value of their property, etc., and that is used to pay for the things done by the government.” The U.S. government has income taxes, excise taxes, Social Security and Medicare taxes, property taxes, estate taxes and tariffs all of which are paid by citizens and businesses “so that the government can function and provide services” (iCivics, paragraph 1).

I believe that taxes are important because of all the good they do for the people in our country. I know that my life would surely be different if no one paid taxes. Saturday mornings would not be the same if the local dog park was closed and I could not spend time playing with my dog, Coco. Taxes paid for the new grass and obstacle course that she loves so much. I would not have to write this essay if our taxes did not pay to fund the educational system because there would be no public schools in our country. My father would not have his job if we did not pay taxes. He keeps us safe by inspecting restaurants and food trucks to make sure the owners are following all the health and safety laws and are not serving bad foods.

Taxes also help those people who are less fortunate. They provide food stamps, housing and clothing for people in need. They help people find work and provide unemployment benefits if you lose your job. Even people “who become disabled and cannot work may also be eligible to receive payments from Social Security (iCivics, paragraph 10). All of these services would not be possible without paying taxes.

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